Uploaded containers are seen at Qingdao Port in Shandong province on Jan 9, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

Qingdao, Shandong province recently issued a work plan for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, which maps out a blueprint to boost the national strategy and deepen regional cooperation.

Qingdao, as the bridgehead for Shandong's opening-up to the world, has undertaken the mission of building a green, low-carbon and high-quality development pilot zone in the province and serves as a gateway for the high-level of opening-up in the Yellow River Basin.

Based on its advantages of ports, trade, industries, cultural tourism and technological innovation, Qingdao plans to make great strides in such areas as ensuring convenient access to the sea, launching key open platforms and boosting industrial cooperation, sci-tech innovation, cultural exchanges and environmental protection this year.

Multimodal transport

By the end of 2022, Qingdao has built 31 inland ports, including 27 in provincial-level areas along the Yellow River and the total number of its sea-rail intermodal trains reached 70. In 2022, Qingdao Port completed a cargo throughput of 660 million metric tons, of which 540 million tons were involved in the nine provinces and autonomous regions along the Yellow River.

Qingdao also intends to advance the multimodal transport system of seaports, railways, roads and aviation, deepen the synergistic mechanism of customs in the Yellow River Basin and build an international hub that relies on the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, or SCODA.  

Open platforms

The city plans to launch key platforms to speed up exchanges with provincial-level areas along the Yellow River, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. It is cooperating with cities along the Yellow River in such fields as shipping logistics, finance and commerce.

Industrial cooperation, sci-tech innovation

This year, Qingdao is focusing on modern service, advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture industries, constructing the Jinan-Qingdao artificial intelligence innovation and application pilot zone, upgrading Qingdao Port and attracting more shipping and trade enterprises to settle in the Yellow River Basin.

The city aims to facilitate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements in the Yellow River Basin and help universities such as Ocean University of China and China University of Petroleum (East China) build research institutes for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Qingdao is also deepening relations with cities along the Yellow River such as Lanzhou in Gansu province and Xi'an in Shaanxi province to tackle bottleneck issues in core technologies like optoelectronic information.

Cultural exchanges

Qingdao is exploring the rich connotations of the Yellow River culture and strengthening ties with cities along the Yellow River in tourism, sports, healthcare and cultural exchanges. Specifically, it expanded the source market for cruise travel and held a series of exhibitions featuring the Yellow River cultural heritage items and folk customs as well as sporting events like the Shandong Port Group Cup Fairy Coast Peninsula City Regatta.

Environmental protection

This year marks the 34th anniversary of the water diversion project from the Yellow River to Qingdao. The city proposes to build a water-saving society, develop unconventional water sources and publicize the conservation and intensive use of water resources.

Qingdao plans to continue following a green and low-carbon development path, building the "1+N" mechanism to achieve peak carbon emissions and promoting the national recycling system of waste materials.